1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for reformatting microfiche to microfilm, an apparatus for copying microfiche, a method of reformatting microfiche to microfilm; and a method of copying microfiche onto a substrate.
2. Prior Art
The use of microfilm and microfiche to preserve records, particularly paper documents such as financial papers, negotiable instruments including personal and business checks, is a routine practice in the banking industry and other areas where high volumes of documents need to be preserved. Other areas of high use include archiving books and documents in library systems, preserving legal documents in courts and law firms, storing business records in corporations, storing blueprints, etc.
An industry has grown in the reproduction of copies from microfilm and microfiche to provide working hard copies for various uses. For example, in the legal field involving litigations, numerous paper copies and sets of copies of originals are required for submission as evidence in various proceedings ranging from doctor and hospital health care records in personal injury cases to corporate business, production, and research records in patent cases.
In the past, paper copies from microfilm could be printed directly from microfilm a page at a time with conventional microfilm copiers known as "reader/printers", however, this is a relatively slow and labor intensive process.
More desirably for high speed reproduction, paper copies can be continuously reproduced from microfilm, for example, with the copy-flow apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,517 by inventors Bob Alkema and John VanderKruik, incorporated herein by reference, developed by some of the same inventors as in the present invention. Micro 50 Incorporated (215 South Lemon Creek Drive, Walnut, Calif. 91789, Tel. No. 714/598-0027) manufactures and operates models known as MICRO-MPRs that are based on the technology described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,517. A MICRO-MPR can continuously print copies from microfilm with the capabilities of:
1) magnifying images from 7.times. to 50.times.; PA0 2) printing from 16 mm to 35 mm roll microfilm; PA0 3) handling paper from 4" to 147/8" wide; PA0 4) printing on bond or rag paper up to 120 lb. lb. weight; and PA0 5) printing up to 66 pages a minute. PA0 1) apparatus for reformatting microfiche to microfilm; PA0 2) apparatus for copying microfiche; PA0 3) process(es) for reformatting microfiche to microfilm; and PA0 4) process(es) for coping microfiche. PA0 Positive fiche to negative film PA0 Negative fiche to positive film PA0 Positive fiche to positive film PA0 Negative fiche to negative film
In the case of microfiche, there exists a number of slow speed copiers that print a page at a time. To operate one of these copiers, a sheet of microfiche is loaded into the copier and a particular frame, a copy of which is desired, is selected and positioned at an exposure position. Then the exposure cycle is initiated to form a copy by a xerographic process using a latent image. This process is slow and labor intensive, and is not conducive to high speed copying.
The inventors are aware of a somewhat automated machine for reproducing copies from microfiche that automatically scans microfiche and sequentially copies a frame at a time. However, it is believed that this apparatus is limited to utilizing standard format microfiche cards. Further, the reproduction rate is slow since each frame is positioned sequentially at the exposure station and then exposed.